Making a frontal attack on RSS and BJP here on
Saturday, senior journalist Kumar Ketkar said that the Narendra Modi government
at the Centre is trying to erase the legacy of country’s freedom movement with
a motive to impose the RSS agenda of Hindu Rashtra on the country.

Speaking as the chief guest on the theme of “India
after Rajiv Gandhi and his legacies” organised by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress
Committee (GPCC) to mark the 25th death anniversary of former Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi, Ketkar said, “Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are not the only enemies of
BJP. The entire legacy of India’s freedom movement is also the enemy of BJP.
This is because BJP does not have any legacy.”

“But you (BJP) can’t destroy the legacy of Nehru and
Gandhi. We will preserve it,” the senior journalist said. “You cannot destroy
the legacies of freedom movement by Nehru-Gandhi by changing the name of
Planning Commission or defaming JNU,” he added.

He said that BJP wanted to defame India’s first prime
minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru by declassifying the files regarding Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose. “But they did not find anything in it against Nehru and
have kept quite now,” he said.

Ketkar also pointed out how Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and BJP tried to belittle the position of Mahatma Gandhi by linking the
latter with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on streets and roads. “You can’t reduce
the stature of Mahatma Gandhi who is known all over the world for the
unparalleled message of ahimsa (non-violence) he gave to the world,” Ketkar
said.

Giving the reason as to why BJP and RSS are opposed to
Gandhi and Nehru, he said: “While Gandhi tried to unite people of all religions
by saying ‘Allah, Ishwar tere naam’ (Allah and Ishwar are the names of the same
God), Nehru strengthened democracy. And these ideologies clashed with RSS
ideology which advocated for Hindu Rashtra.”

“The ‘akhand bharat’ (undivided India) agenda of RSS
is fraudulent. If they believe in ‘akhand bharat’, why are they driving away
Bangladeshis? Are Bangladeshis not part of Akhand Bharat?” Ketkar asked.

Referring to Modi’s oft-repeated slogans of “Digital
India”, Ketkar said: “It is nothing new. It is not Modi’s idea. It is borrowed
from Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi spoke about digital India way back in 1985,” he
said.

“RSS does not teach imagination and invention. It only
teaches hatred,” Ketkar alleged. Till 1977, RSS did not even unfurl tricolour
on its offices, he pointed out. (Courtesy: The Indian Express)